The Promise Will Be Fulfilled – Steve Martin, Love For His People
April 21, 2022 Love For His People Charlotte, NC USA
THE PROMISE WILL BE FULFILLED
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:4-6, NKJV
The first book that I ever wrote (now numbering 33 in total thus far as of April 2022) was of the heart’s desire that the Lord put in my being when I was 10 years old. It was to be a missionary doctor in Africa.
For most people, Africa is not the first choice of one’s missions destination. Hawaii, yes. Africa, not so much. When people would pray, “Lord send me out, but not to Africa” my prayer was “Lord send me out. To Africa!”
That desire continually grew to go to that continent and share the love of Jesus.
I believe what started in the heart of my Mom, Lila Mae Martin, whom I remember when as a young child hearing her share her hopeful thoughts on how she had wanted to be a missionary to Africa in her early years, was put into me as a little embryo.
Then the Lord watered that seed as I began reading books in my early teens on the missionary activity of Dr. David Livingstone, the British physician and pioneer missionary explorer to Africa in the late 19th -century Victorian era, and other African missionaries I could find biographies on.
In 2013, after spending a few years compiling my thoughts and putting them on paper, I published my first book, and autobiography, and entitled it, “The Promise – One Man’s Journey to See God’s Word Revealed.” The first chapter began with what the Lord had put in my heart at 10. The last chapter ended with the fact that after two promised but disappointing endings to get to Africa which never occurred, once with Mahesh Chavda in 1994 while on staff as the Administrator (Chavda Ministries/All Nations Church in Fort Mill, SC) and again with a worship team ministry in the late 1990s, I never got there.
I somewhat dismissed the hope that I would ever walk on the African land and be with the precious people. In the meantime, the Lord turned my heart to Israel and the Jews, which has blossomed into a fantastic journey with Him and His people.
In May 2019 my good friend David Peterman had just returned from his first trip to Israel and spoke of his divine appointment in meeting Ethiopian Messianic Jewish Rabbi Kokeb Gedamu, and that I should meet him too. I purposely did so on my next trip to Jerusalem in Oct. 2019.
In short, both David and I were impressed with this man, his life’s story, and the connection that the Lord had done between the three of us. After reading Kokeb’s book Journey Beyond Imagination and spending further time with him and his wife Menalu in Jerusalem in April 2022 (see my report on our website Kokeb Gedamu) I believe the Lord gave me renewed hope that through this man my Father would bring about the fulfillment of that Holy Spirit impression that He had given me 58 years ago in 1964 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, as a 10-year old boy.
On April 20, 2022, my good wife Laura Jean (aka Laurie) kept her promise to our grandson Jack Blade that she had given him at Christmas in December 2021. It was to be a day trip to the North Carolina Zoo near Asheboro, NC as his Christmas present, and on his 9th birthday. And so…I got to go too!
When we entered the park, we had the choice between going to the “Africa” frontier or the “North America” section to visit first. As the leader for the day, Africa was to become our first adventure trek.
Shortly just inside the vast acreage was a painted sign on the sidewalk, with the word “Africa” imprinted on it. (See the top photo of this message.) This occurred at 11:07 am, as recorded by the date stamp on the photo.
Believing the Bible and the Word of the Lord, that He first gave to Moses, and I had received for myself many decades ago, I again affirmed my belief in the Word, and stood on the sign. And took a photo of my feet thereon to prove it.
“So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden will be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ Joshua 14:9-10, NASU
(Side note: This is the reason I have taken so many photos of my feet standing in many places. Several times in Israel I have done so. Believing God’s Word and literally standing on it.)
As Laurie, Jack, and I continued trekking the “vast lands of Africa”, at 1:34 pm the Lord had me recall Kokeb and his Ethiopian trips, with this thought through His Holy Spirit, “Send him a WhatsApp and ask when he is next going to Africa.”
And so I did, writing, “Kokeb, if it works out, someday I’d like to go with you to Ethiopia. Ever since I was 10, I felt the Lord was going to send me to Africa.”
At 3:38 pm, from his Denver, CO home while in the USA, he responded, “Yes, Steve let me when do you want to go? October will be possible.”
Excitement filled my spirit. I caught up with Laurie walking ahead of me with Jack (most of the time she “Walks With Me” …) and told her what Kokeb said.
She replied, “Sure. Just don’t be gone on our 45th anniversary.” That special date coming up is Oct. 8, 2022. What a good wife to think of those things!
I wrote Kokeb back, and he responded, “Praise the Lord. Yes, we can do it after the 8th.”
We serve a great God. We serve the ONLY GOD, the Living God of Israel, Who first puts the desires He has for us to walk out into our hearts, and then gives us those same desires for our hearts, all the time showing us His love by bringing them about.
Thank You, Jesus! Or as Laurie likes to proclaim often in joy, “Hallelujah!”
And so, when I get back after the first African trip I will take, I will write the second book, the sequel, to “The Promise.” Make sure you pre-order!
What a God we serve! He is Faithful and True in all that He does.
Ahava and shalom,
Steve Martin, Love For His People founder
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Message #66 – in the year of our Lord 04.21.2022 – “The Promise” – Thursday, 5:45 am in Charlotte, NC USA
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
